UT Banner Information System To Begin Replacing Circle Park Online

KNOXVILLE — Starting with registration for spring 2011 classes, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students, faculty and staff will begin to use the new Banner Self Service student information system.

On Thursday, Sept. 30, students will register for classes in Banner Self Service instead of in Circle Park Online (CPO). Over the next four to six months, more CPO functions will move to Banner Self Service, which will provide remote access and round-the-clock service, and will integrate with “MyUTK,” the university’s portal, to allow single-sign-on access to Banner, Online @UT (Blackboard) and the DARS degree audit system. Banner eventually will manage admissions, registration, academic records and transcripts, catalog and curriculum, timetables, fee payment and financial aid.

Most users of this system will access Banner through MyUTK. Students, faculty and staff will be able to customize the content displayed on their portal page to view student information system functions such as teaching schedules, student schedules, lists of advisees, e-mail addresses, academic histories, course timetables, course catalogs and their Tmail inbox with a single sign-on using their NetID.

Banner will be integrated with the following UT student systems: the Nolij document imaging system, the Ad Astra room scheduling function, CollegeNet online applications and the DARS/DARwin degree audit system. Users with access to these systems will be able to easily retrieve information from them.

Administrative users will have access to both the Banner Web system and the internal Internet Native Banner (INB) environment. INB is the internal side of Banner similar to the university’s current student information system. Overrides and similar functions will be entered into the INB system by appropriate users.

UT Knoxville Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Susan Martin said this effort is part of a larger initiative to streamline campus information systems while helping faculty, staff and students customize their online experience.

“The overall trend in campus student information systems is toward centralization and a unique user experience,” Martin said. “We want our students and our employees to quickly access the information that is most important to them, while providing them with a more reliable and user-friendly interface, and the Banner system achieves that.”

Training and informational sessions for faculty, staff and students will continue through the end of the fall semester. For more information on the program and a list of training opportunities, materials and access forms to obtain authorization to the system, visit http://tennessee.edu/banner/utk.

Following is a list of administrative contacts for any questions regarding the Banner project: